Crown Staffordshire Fine Bone China - What a find!

I popped in to one of Cheltenhams many charity shops last week and came across the most beautiful china tea cup set - which I just had to buy.

It's fine bone china made by Crown in Staffordshire England. According to my research - my china would have been made 1906 or over.

I can work this out because of the printed mark on the bottom of the cup. And by visiting Crown Staffordshire Porcelain's website.

The website lists a variety of marks used by Crown at different periods, which incredibly useful for enthusiasts like me.

The mark on the bottom of my tea cups also say 'ESTd 1801'. However the Crown Staffordshire Porcelain Co. was not founded until 1889.

For £12.50 I purchased 8 tea cups - but sadly only 7 saucers due to a breakage. I managed to get over this pretty quickly.

In fact, I am going to make it my mission to find a replacement saucer - and a tea pot to match.

There are some great websites around for buying replacement china including 'China Search' - Europe's largest discontinued china specialist.

I will let you know how I get on!

Love old furniture? It's even better when it's free!

If you are looking to fill your home with some old pieces of furniture - you can do so without spending a penny!

I know... I can sense your excitement right now!

People around the country have grown tired of their old furniture and have upgraded to newer more modern pieces (lord knows why). Many of us take them to charity shops, brocante shops, car boots or give to friends or family to reuse.

I regularly trawl all of the above to look out for pieces of furniture - for my new home and to restore and sell on or give as gifts.

But - where can you get furniture for free?

Gumtree is a great place to start. Search the freebies section and see what delights await. You can narrow your search by location if you're not prepared to travel too far for it.

Freecycle is an organisation, which was set up to reduce waste. This network of eco-friendly bargain hunters is well worth signing up too.

You can join groups in your area and see what people are giving away for free within your local group - as well as promote items you are looking to give to a good home.

Freegle  is one of my favourite sites. There are 1,495,541 members in 384 groups all over the UK - waiting to give their old things a new home. And look for new things to fill their home

Preloved is much like Gumtree. It's full of second hand delights cheap as chips - and occasionally you can find some really good giveaways.

If you find any great giveaways or have any other sites you would recommend - please share!

Farrow & Ball - My colour competition

Do you struggle to find the exact colour paint your looking for?

Farrow & Ball are offering the chance to create your very own paint colour through their 'my colour' competition.

I love Farrow & Ball paint. The quality is excellent - and I use it for decorating around the home and for painting furniture - So the thought of having a colour that I have selected excites me greatly!

The competition is to celebrate the launch of nine new colours in September - and all of their colours have a story to tell.

To enter, you simply choose a colour which inspires you - and describe the inspiration behind the colour.

I have already entered the competition and chose 'Bengal Gold' as my colour. My inspiration being my 1 year old Bengal Cross Pedro, who was sadly killed in July.

Apart from having the most wonderful personality and characteristics - he also had the most gorgeous colouring to him. What better tribute than to have a paint named after my special boy!

The closing date for entries is Sunday 18th August at 12pm - so get inspired!

One man's junk...

How many times have you bought something new, which has been made to look old? Believe me - you're not alone!

I've bought several decorative pieces from high street places like Next and BHS. The high street is well aware of the shabby chic craze - and is doing it's very best to keep up with the trend.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying a bit of new - in fact there are some fantastic websites around. Two of my favourite's are:

• Rockett St George
• Melody Maison

I could list so many more, but we'll leave that for another day...

If you're looking for genuine old pieces for your home, there are plenty of places to buy. One of my favourite places to pick up old gems is a good old fashioned car boot sale.

Cheltenham hosts several car boot sales - and I love spending my Sunday's wondering around them. Of course - you're not going to hit the jackpot every week, but it's a great place to find old treasures, cheap as chips!

Left to right: 1. Decanter 2. China dish 3. Miners lamp

In the picture above are yesterdays car boot finds, which cost me £5 in total.

Decanter (£2) - I absolutely love this piece. Its got a paper mache map of the world on it, which is quite worn in places. I bought this for decorative purpose - and it will sit nicely on my shabby chic wine rack in my new dining room.

Serving dish (£1) - I can't wait to be in the new house, cooking a roast dinner for our family. This dish will come in very handy for serving the vegetables in!

Miners lamp (£2) - This is a great piece for the garden. You just stick a nice fat candle inside, close the door and you get a lovely red glow. Excellent for a summers evening in the garden - when the sun goes down.

So there we are - one man's junk, really can be another mans treasure!

Buying an antique light? Avoid shabby electrics

I'm so excited about moving in to my new house. And the desire to go on the hunt for beautiful vintage fixtures has become too strong to ignore.

One of the first things I bought when our offer was accepted on the house was a 1950's shabby chic chandelier, accompanied by the original ceiling rose - courtesy of eBay.

Electrical wiring has changed a great deal since the 1950's. And I'm pretty sure electrical safety standards have increased considerably since this piece was made - over 60 years ago.

With this in mind, I fully intend to seek the advice of an electrician before installing it in my home. After all, the cost of a PAT test or re-wiring out-weighs the risk of loosing everything you own.

Electrical equipment and inadequate wiring are two of the most common causes of household fires - and can be easily prevented.

And so, the moral of today's post is: Don't be afraid to buy vintage electrical items, providing you are prepared to take the necessary precautions to ensure they are in keeping with electrical safety regulations. 

Create antique effects using crackle glaze

 

  

My first restoration project was a beautiful chair, which I saw sat outside a brocante shop in Tewkesbury. I had no plans to take on such a project until I saw it.

Unfortunately I didn't take any photo's of it before I decorated it. It was covered in layers and layers of thick paint - It was quite a site.

I decided to use crackle glaze to create an antique effect. And used a bronze base coat - and an antique white top coat.

Crackle glaze is a clear liquid, which applied in between the base coat and the top coat. It is best to use emulsion or water-based paint.

I use Polyvine, which you can buy at any good DIY store. I would avoid using the sprays and go for the liquid as the results are much better.

The effects of crackle glaze are truly stunning. And looks great when used on old items of furniture, which have become scratched or damaged.

It also looks fabulous on newer items of furniture, that you want to make look old. Try to stick to furniture with rounded edges rather than square edges - as this looks more convincing.

You don't have to be an amazing artist or crafts person to achieve great things with crackle glaze - It's really easy:

• Step 1 - Apply your base colour and leave to dry.

• Step 2 - Mix crackle glaze well and apply in one direction. This coat must be smooth and even - and left to dry fully.

• Step 3 - Apply your top colour in single brush strokes and at right angles. The thicker the paint applied - the more dramatic the cracks will appear. 

• Step 4 - After 24 hours, apply a clear varnish

See - it really is that easy...

There are loads of 'how to use crackle glaze' video's on You Tube which you can check out - right here!

Allow me to introduce myself...

My names is Caroline, and I currently live in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

I was always artistic - even as a little girl. It started with a passion for drawing and I continued my creative journey to uni where I studied graphics & illustration.

Since finishing uni I have spread my creative wings even further. I work in the media industry and I am also a budding copywriter.

I've been collecting old pieces of furniture and ornaments for about 3 years and my collection is growing strong.

I love the mix of old and new - It really works if done tastefully of course!

I am currently living in a rented bungalow, which is all a bit modern. However, my partner Steve and I have recently bought a lovely house in Tewkesbury which we are dying to get in to.

It's an old house - so full of quirks. And I'm really looking forward to getting in there and giving it a touch of vintage.

Join us on our wonderful journey of decor and soft furnishings - I can't wait!